Surface drilling rigs are used to drill bores or install bolts in a mine or tunnel. A drilling rig is typically provided with a mast structure extending from a foundation. The mast structure supports a drilling bit that is lowered into and removed from a wellbore.
One type of drive system used in a typical drill rig is a chain drive system. In a chain drive system, a drive sprocket engages with chains to enable lifting and lowering of the drilling bit. More specifically, the drive sprocket engages with two chains: one that floats, and one that remains stationary with respect to the mast during the drilling operation. Unfortunately, such chain drive systems can be uneconomical due to the design of the chains in the chain drive system. Specifically, before use, the fixed chain section will need to be attached to the mast. This requires a series of L-shaped brackets to be typically separately and manually welded first to the chain and then to the mast. Additionally, welding the brackets to the chain requires individual alignment of each bracket with each side of the chain before welding the bracket on both sides of the chain. This setup process is often time consuming and associated with high monetary and material costs.
One method of addressing the uneconomical nature of present chain drive systems is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0008615 (the '615 application) authored by Young et al. and published on Jan. 8, 2009. The '615 application describes a roller chain and sprocket system that enables an improved transfer of energy between the sprocket and the chain during operation. Specifically, the '615 application describes a system in which the teeth of the sprocket have an involute profile that engage rollers in the roller chain. The interconnectivity of these components renders the system more operationally efficient, this leading to greater operational economy.
Although the system of the '615 application may help to reduce the uneconomical nature of typical chain drive systems, the system does not address the inefficiencies associated with fixing the chain section to the mast before system operation. Thus, significant time and cost inefficiencies are associated with the chain system of the '615 application.
The disclosed system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.